MAIKA KOBAYASHI
ProfileAbout MAIKA KOBAYASHI
MAIKA KOBAYASHI 小林 舞香
MAIKA KOBAYASHI, a painter and muralist, is known for her precise realistic paintings with acrylics.
Starting with her solo exhibition in New York in 2010, her creations as a painter included a wide range of productions: mural production, stage design, offering arts to TV set design, collaboration with brands and companies for their products, and artwork production for musicians.
Since 2015, she further expanded her works overseas, holding solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, London and Amsterdam, while being based in the UK until 2017.
Taking the opportunity of producing a performance group, she launched her own company in 2018; in addition to being responsible for stage arts as a painter, she directed dancers, composers, filmmakers, photographers and fashion designers to produce comprehensive arts.
She started focusing on her works as a muralist in 2019 and held an art project “Art Can Help You” based on SDGs in Bangkok, which attracted 1,500 participants in three days at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). She has been currently working with the philosophy of “Production of ‘Scene’ by Art.”
Painter画家
Painting is the origin of my works.
When I started working as a painter, when I was painting based in overseas, when I was working on stage production, when I was visiting local places to paint murals....... I always get stimulated by new experiences.
I find a lot of things that I want to draw, which makes me sit in front of the canvas.
With my identity “painting” I would like to keep expressing what I feel, including inspirations I get from a wide range of activities.
Muralist 壁画師
I painted murals all over the country.
After painting a lot of murals, I began to think about what painting could mean to people's lives.
Although I have been drawing "paintings made to be close to someone's life" I still want to keep drawing "paintings made for myself in a small room" as well.
Anyway, I feel very happy to see "a view not for anyone else" has been becoming an important view for someone.
Stage Producer舞台演出家
We have formed a performance group “KOOYA” and have been holding Japanese-themed shows in Japan and overseas.
I used to belong to a drama club when I was in middle school and I have liked stage production for a long time.
When I produce a stage, I can skip the surface of the canvas to "paint" what I have in mind, using different methods of expression such as costume, stage art, and music.
I can express my ideas with other than drawing, which always makes me excited.
By "drawing" on props and costumes, I hope my stage production gets people interested in Art, even just a little bit.